Welcome friends, today I want to give you three helpful tips on how to stay on track with your writing project. If you’re not a writer, it’s okay. These tips can apply to you too, just apply them where ever you can in your life.
Let’s face it, we are all busy. I know that I for one always feel like I have a million things I need to do, which often makes me feel stressed. I used to be the type that could keep my “to-do” list in my head, and not miss a beat. This, is no longer the case. I simply have too much to do. For this reason, I've had to reassess the way I do things. After all, I want to enjoy my writing experience, from writing—to publishing—to promoting. I thought, hmm, maybe I'm not alone here. Maybe others are stressing out over the many things they have to do too. For this reason I compiled the 3 most important tips I've put into action that has helped me become sane again.
List Anyone?
This one, I think is pretty obvious, but for some reason one that hadn't occurred to me until recently. Creating a to-do list simplifies your life and highlights what truly needs to be done. I suggest you start with making a monthly goal, or to-do list. Then, make a weekly goal. Then, a daily goal. It is very important that when creating your to-do list, you set realistic goals. For example, if you want to finish editing your novel, and you’re on chapter 2, is it realistic to say you will be done in one week? Probably not. If you’re not honest with what you can accomplish, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Better to say, I’ll edit one chapter a day and accomplish it, than say I will edit 5 chapters a day and not get any of it done because you were overwhelmed by the thought of having to edit 5 CHAPTERS!
You Have Tomorrow!
Now, I'm not talking about procrastination here. I'm talking about giving yourself some wiggle room. Don't feel bad about saying, "there’s always tomorrow," especially when you are doing your best to keep up. When jotting down all the things you MUST do, be careful with thinking it all has to be done today! For instance, I have a lot of professional things on my plate: from work, to writing, to school to editing and promotions, and I sometimes get overwhelmed by thinking it all has to be done today. On most days, I cannot do all the things I want to do, at least not successfully. I've learned to manage my schedule by realizing that some things can wait until tomorrow. So if I've set a strict schedule on myself that I says I have to edit two chapters a day, maybe I cut back to one chapter.
Be Kind To Yourself:
Don't give up! Being a writer doesn’t have to feel like a heavy burden filled with to-do's. Be kind to yourself. If you’ve set goals for yourself, but you find that you're unable to reach them, then reassess. Maybe you’ve packed too much on your plate. Be lenient! After all, it’s your list. Add, delete, and/or extend as needed. There’s no hurry. Really, there isn’t.
There you have it, these tips have worked for me. And although on most days I don't check everything off my list, I'm learning how to be kind to myself about it. I take stock of what worked the previous week, and what didn't and I try it again, tweaking here and there where ever necessary.
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Till Next Time!